Immunity against the Obligate Intracellular Bacterial Pathogen Rickettsia australis Requires a Functional Complement System.

ABSTRACT: The complement system has a well-defined role in deterring blood-borne infections. However, complement is not entirely efficacious, as several bacterial pathogens, including some obligate intracellular pathogens, have evolved mechanisms for resistance. It is presumed that obligate intracellular bacteria evade complement attack by residing within a host cell; however, recent studies have challenged this presumption. Here, we demonstrate that the complement system is activated during infection with the obligate intracellular bacterium Rickettsia australis and that genetic ablation of complement increases susceptibility to infection. Interaction of Rickettsia australis with serum-borne complement leads to activation of the complement cascade, producing three effector mechanisms that could neg

SUBMITTER: Riley SP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5964522 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature